Sunday, June 29, 2008

Hopelessly Devoted to the Garden







These paintings will be on Lovely Whatevers

soon.


The artist, Igor Levashov, is fast becoming one of my favorite contempory artists. How does he do that? I can almost smell his roses!


Here are some garden quotes:



“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful implanted in the human soul.” - Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Your mind is a garden,your thoughts are the seeds,the harvest can be either flowers or weeds.- Author Unknown


I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.- Emma Goldman


I must dress my best today. My roses will want to see me. (unknown)

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Roses are a favorite of mine too. The picture of you sitting at your desk is just lovely.
Karen

Anonymous said...

Thank you for these lovely quotes and pictures. Some of my earliest memories are of roses. On Sunday I was delighted to be able to gather a bouquet of ruby red roses from my own garden-the first ever-to present to my parents-in-law for their ruby anniversary. What a pleasure to finally have a well flowering rose bush. Gill.

The Lady of the House said...

Lovely pictures. They do look incredibly life-like. Thanks for sharing the lovely quotes, too. The one from Goethe is a favorite of mine and one by which I live.

Karen said...

I LOVE these pictures!

Here are two more garden quotes:

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. - Cicero

One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
- Dorothy Frances Blomfield Gurney

Anonymous said...

Roses are one of my favorites, and June is one of my favorite months.

~ Ann

Paula said...

Dear Lady Lydia,

Thank you for sharing these beautiful paintings and the inspiring quotes! What a gift that artist has for painting roses. It is just as you said, you can almost smell them!

I love the beautiful photo of you sitting at your desk. You have your desk decorated so pretty and your outfit is beautiful, so feminine and old- fashioned. I love your hair pinned up and the way you are holding your fan. You are such a lovely lady and a blessing and encouragement to me. Photos like that are so inspiring! I wear dresses or skirts and blouses everyday! I love to see ladies dressed modestly and feminine. It reminds me of a time when all women dressed like that! It just makes you feel better to dress pretty, and my husband and son love that I dress that way.

I hope you have a lovely week!
The Lord bless you, dear Lady Lydia!!!
Paula

Lydia said...

Paula,

The entire picture was staged. The photo had to be altered, also, to eliminate some background clutter. The house reverted back into the mess as soon as the photographing was over. My little grandson, age 9, took the picture.

candy said...

Dear Lady Lydia,
Thank you for this lovely post. Those roses are beautiful! It made me realzie that I am definitely missing art on my walls and need to buy some posters and frame them.
I love the quotes as well.
I especially LOVE the photo of you on your sidebar. It is exceptionally pretty. I love your dress and I love your desk and I love the white curtains. I would love to see a larger picture or more pictures of your desk and your home. I just think its so beautiful.
God bless,
Candy

Julieann said...

Hello:) I was asking for some Homemaking blogs and I was referred to your blog and your list--I hope you don't mind me dropping in. Your blog is just lovely.

Have a wonderful day!

Julieann

JKaye said...

Hello. Thank you for this lovely post. It reaffirms a feeling I've been developing lately while working in my garden -- I could be wearing something more ladylike. I always wear a big hat, long pants, and one of my husband's long-sleeved old shirts to keep the sun off of me. (I hate smearing greasy old sunblock lotions on each day.) Needless to say, I look more like a scarecrow than a lovely lady when I am in the garden.

I love that quote about dressing for the roses. But, I realize how much I want to dress better for me and my family. I spend many hours each week working in my garden, and that means many hours not really looking my best. This post gives me more inspiration for change.

Anonymous said...

I do so enjoy your recommendations for feminine clothes! Have you ever done a week in feminine dress? I am very sure that many would enjoy seeing you throughout the week!

You mentioned in a post a while ago about a dress that you made and enjoy very much. It is fairly loose so it is cool in the summer. I think you also said that you gave the pattern to Rebecca Newton to copy sometime. Do you know if she will be publishing it anytime soon? I would love to have a copy of it!

Blessings,
Bethany

Anonymous said...

http://www.marmeedear.com/store/

I recently sent away for the skirt pattern on this web page but I haven't received it yet. She will also sew custom skirts, but since I couldn't afford that I just bought the pattern. These look very comfortable. I hope this will help someone else.
joanna

Anonymous said...

That's a lovely dress pattern. I agree about the button-front-- sometimes patterns skimp on buttons, I guess because zippers are "easier" to install? (but not in my book!)

I've got a really cute little "pirate skirt" pattern that is actually a GREAT everyday-wear skirt.

It's very full with 8 godets, thus requiring a totally ridiculous amount of yardage, but it's the most comfortable/flattering thing ever.

I just don't make it in skull-print fabric, and so nobody ever says, "hey, aren't you wearing a pirate skirt?" :p

Anonymous said...

Buttons in the front means I don't need to ask for help with a back zip. If I'm home alone, it can really be a problem.

Anonymous said...

I was very fortunate to have "inherited" my garden. The house that we bought a few years ago was owned by an elderly lady that loved to garden. I now have roses, hollyhocks, peonies, irises, daffodils, violets, a rose of sharon bush, and tulips. Since they bloom at different times throughout the season, there is beautiful color to enjoy everyday from spring right through to the fall. My husband and I have been planting tomatoes and basil for the last 3 years and enjoy food from our own yard.
I agree that no one should feel bad about not having a garden. Inside plants are just as nice. My grandmother passed away a few years ago but I have her shamrock plant to remember her by. I love to be surrounded with living things.

Aelwyn said...

Although I have gardened on a small scale when I lived in my mother's home, this is the first year that I have had a LARGE garden. The work is hard, but oh so rewarding. The long days in Alaska allow vegetables to grow to quite large sizes. I just like walking through and seeing how much they have grown each day.

Roses do not do so well here and are something I miss. We are going to eventually try some roses advertised for zones 2 and 3, but have to prepare a good sheltered spot first. (We have decided that we much be zone 2/5.)

Lovely dress!

Unknown said...

Those roses are breathtakingly beautiful!

Flower said...

Nice modest clothing: www.shukronline.com/

Nicole said...

Lady Lydia,

I'm sorry to be somewhat off-topic but I wanted to say thank you for praying for me and that your (and my) prayers have been answered. As I previously posted, my husband was reticent to allow me to be a stay at home wife for a number of reasons. I prayed about it and wrote out a Proposal to him to cut back my work hours to 15 a week, hoping he would see this as a compromise and give me more time at home.

God is very good and my husband told me yesterday (after holding onto my proposal for a *week*!) that he thought that as soon as we had one of our debts paid down (which we anticipate doing by September) that I could work the 15 hrs a week or quit all together if I really wanted to. He was very supportive about it. I think my proposal written out,showing all the advantages of me being home, and including the scriptures that support my desire to be at home, really won his heart and mind. I was so overjoyed I danced around the house.

I just wanted to say thank you again for supplying encouragement and support for women who want to be home makers and for your prayers for those of us who struggle to get home. God is so good and may He bless you richly.

In Christ,
Nicole

edwardianbeauty said...

I love the pattern. Is it still available? I like this pattern because it shows the practical Victorian fashions. I don't think I could stand crinoline and bustle dresses but I love the Gibson girl look. Shirtwaists and walking skirts were cool. Have you ever worn a corset before? Nice flowers.

Kate said...

On top of improving posture, stays/corsets also give back support and prevent over-eating. However, if worn on a regular basis, they can cause muscle weakness in the abs and back since the stays do most of the work...at least that's what I've heard.

There is something to be said for foundation garments, though.